StunnaKrypto Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Teddie Blake The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Tobias Burrows It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Umar Mansoor Bajwa As his debut motion picture, director Bernard Kowalski has done a great job by filming and editing this movie. This movie still holds water and attracts audience to a spell binding show of volcanic eruption, terrific tsunami and the human gall and fighting spirit in the face of death and disaster. Taking into consideration, the time when it was filmed i.e. in late sixties, when filming techniques were not as refined and advanced as now and the special effects department lacked the present cutting edge computer graphic technology, it is, by far a great effort and thrilling experience that re-creates and re livens the colossal natural calamity of the late nineteenth century.

cinesage One can only imagine that the Todd-AO and Cinerama formats appeared spectacularly on the huge movie theater screens of 1969, because it doesn't translate very well to even a 50+ inch home theater screen today. The movie contains several aerial scenes (and others featuring back-and-forth camera pans), designed to immerse the audience into the action, which just don't work for a TV viewer. Hence, without delivering the intended experience, these sequences feel much too long. But it was obviously impressive enough back then to earn this adventure drama an Academy Award nomination for its Special Effects (Best Visual Effects), though the only other nominee that year (Marooned) won, earning Robie Robinson an Oscar for his only work in film. Obviously it was a weak year for the category. Additionally, the DVD version I watched didn't take advantage of surround sound; my sub-woofer sat silent during the plethora of explosions and volcano eruptions, which made the 131 minutes seem even longer.As for the rest of it, the disaster-adventure's story is fairly typical, and largely of secondary importance; contrived subplots slog towards the climactic historical event. Unfortunately, the dialog is dismal and the acting is laughable at times (Diane Baker's character is hysterically hysterical); thankfully Oscar winner Maximilian Schell was able to redeem himself and his career in later films. There's a painful-to-watch scene in which Barbara Werle sings while performing a G-rated striptease to Brian Keith, and Rossano Brazzi looks much more weathered than his 52 years should have indicated. Sal Mineo, John Leyton, J.D. Cannon and Marc Lawrence also have shallow roles. Then there's a trio of female pearl divers (who appear only to provide cheesecake) that can swim nearly as deep and stay underwater the same length of time as Schell and Keith can, yet the men are wearing oxygen-supplied diving suits! More nonsense follows: the captain fights a mutiny using a high pressure water hose, probably not available in 1883, yet no one thinks to use it just minutes later to put out the fires caused by the flaming lava rocks falling from the sky. Even the much lauded special effects are repetitious and some were done very cheaply (e.g. the balloon's propeller is made from a movie reel).

wes-connors The film's title invites the irresistible observation, and convenient movie review, "Krakatoa is West of Java." The movie's story is likewise without direction. For what seems like an interminable length of time, the volcano Krakatoa spurts and sputters -- you are teased by the threatening eruption. During this time, the film should be providing its great characterizations; so, you really care about the people who are soon to be blanketed with volcanic lava and/or tsunami waters. That doesn't exactly happen.Some of the special effects are explosive. Stars Maximilian Schell (as Captain Hanson) and Diane Baker (as Laura) are fine performers, who seem to be trying their best with the material. Brian Keith (as Connerly) is wasted. Sal Mineo (as Leoncavallo) is the best supporting player; though the director cuts away from him a little too soon following a nice "goodbye" scene with father Rossano Brazzi, it shows the most unused potential. Mr. Mineo resembles Marlon Brando in pensive medium shots -- too bad he didn't get more Brando-caliber scripts. **** Krakatoa, East of Java (1969) Bernard L. Kowalski ~ Maximilian Schell, Diane Baker, Sal Mineo

skallisjr This is one I didn't see when it first came out. With its title what it was, I figured that anyone who couldn't understand East from West, probably wouldn't be able to produce a legitimate adventure film.Decades later, I saw a videotape of the film on sale, so I picked it up (it was cheaper than renting it). I'd learned in the meantime that the actual Krakatoa explosion was in the megaton range, so I was wondering how it would be treated in the film.Probable spoilers follow.IMHO, not very well. That close to the island, the ship wouldn't have survived an explosion that intense. But the fireworks were okay.After having seen a number of disaster films, I was surprised that this early one had a musical number in it. At least The Poseidon Adventure had the excuse that the singer was a performer.Entertaining, but not that credible.